US-based Swede Samuel Hübinette signs full GRC season contract with the Scott-Eklund Racing team.

Scott-Eklund Racing is pleased to confirm the signing of Samuel Hübinette for the remainder of the 2012 Global RallyCross Championship, as the privateer team prepares for the second round series battle at the inaugural Hoon KaboomTX event at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend.
Hübinette joined Scott-Eklund Racing on a one-deal drive at the eleventh hour ahead of the opening GRC round at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “The Crazy Swede” only drove the Scott-Eklund Racing Saab 9-3 with ENEOS Motor Oil for the first time in official practice and seeding in North Carolina, yet he seamlessly gelled with both the car and the team.
The two-time Formula Drift Champion and double FD Vice-Champion clearly set-out his series potential by building on his impressive eighth-place qualifying form to seal second in his first GRC heat. The 2010 X Games bronze medallist then took the team’s first ever heat race win to automatically qualify for the final where he finished fifth, helping to cement a double top-five finish on the team’s debut.
Racing alongside Team Principal and lead driver Andy Scott, the pairing have already proved that they will be a force to be reckoned with this year as they head into the second round at Texas Motor Speedway hunting for Scott-Eklund Racing’s first outright podium.
Hübinette will return to the wheel of his #77 Saab 9-3 in practice at 20.30 (local time) on Thursday, June 7, ahead of Saturday’s showdown where competitors will not only be vying for race results but for an all-important place on the grid at the GRC’s flagship event, the X Games on June 28-July 1.
Official practice and seeding sessions will take place from 10.00 on Friday, June 8, around the custom-built .77-mile circuit incorporating the frontstretch and pit lane, a 70-foot gap-jump, a 100-foot long jump, car wash and compulsory Joker Lap. Race activity starts at 15.30 on Saturday, June 9, ahead of the Firestone 550 IZOD IndyCar event. (All times are provisional and subject to change).

Tickets, including admission to both the Firestone 550 IndyCar Series Race and the Hoon KaboomTX Global RallyCross round, are priced at $35 plus taxes, or two for $49. To purchase tickets, call the Texas Motor Speedway ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com/hoon

Samuel Hübinette – Scott-Eklund Racing Saab 9-3 with ENEOS Motor Oil, Car #77:
“I am stoked to sign with Scott-Eklund Racing for the 2012 GRC season and very proud to bring ENEOS Motor Oil as my partner to the series and the team. To have ENEOS Motor Oil at this level of motorsport, believing in my skills, is just fantastic, while I also have to thank my long-term partners Sparco, MagnaFlow and Replay XD. It’s the start of an exciting new partnership and I look forward to a very successful season. We had a good opening round in Charlotte. We had to be very happy with running in third on the last lap, unfortunately I got spun out but Andy and I finished fourth and fifth so that was a good sign of very good things to come from a full season with the team. Everyone has connected really well; Per Eklund is a Swedish legend and a hard-core racer. We speak the same language and Andy adapts really well to working with a group of Swedes! Scott-Eklund Racing is a smooth operation. Now I look forward to getting some testing time and adapting the car to my driving style, to make me and the Scott-Eklund Racing ENEOS Motor Oil car even more competitive. I see great potential in the GRC and look forward to seeing how it continues to grow, with exciting racing, a lot of cool cars and talented drivers. My goal every time I race is to win. I know it’s going to be a challenge to do that, you definitely have to earn it in this field, but I know I can do it for ENEOS and the team.”

Andy Scott – Scott-Eklund Racing Team Principal & driver, Car #26:
“We are delighted to welcome Samuel on-board for the remainder of the 2012 season. It was a pleasure to work with him during the first round at Charlotte Motor Speedway where he instantly fitted into the team. He’s a really professional driver with an excellent profile, particularly in the US, while his Swedish connection also couldn’t be better for the Scott-Eklund Racing team. I have no doubt that Samuel will be at the forefront of the season battle and that he will help the team to secure another double top-five result in Texas, if not our first podium.”

Per Eklund – Scott-Eklund Racing Technical Director:
“I am very happy to welcome Samuel to the team. He is a good person and a very experienced and talented driver. He is very well known in Sweden and the US, so he will be an asset to the team. Scott-Eklund Racing was already looking strong this year, but Samuel’s signing cements us as a top team. Samuel drove the Saab 9-3 for the first time in practice at Charlotte. He listened to everything I told him and was immediately on the pace and driving perfectly. He is a very clean driver, his lines are very precise every lap, just perfect. I can tell that he only does things 100 per cent and I know we can expect even bigger and better things from him once he has had a chance to settle in the car.”

Photo caption:

Samuel “The Crazy Swede” Hübinette has signed with Scott-Eklund Racing for the full 2012 GRC. © QBA/ERC24